Degree Programs

South Asian Studies

The Department of South Asian Studies builds upon more than a century of distinguished scholarship in the study of South Asia, most recently under the auspices of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies. On July 1, 2011, a broader Department of South Asian Studies was launched, drawing faculty from Sanskrit and Indian Studies as well as faculty from across the humanities and interpretive social sciences. The new department strengthens and broadens the intellectual profile of its predecessor, preserving its long-standing strengths while expanding its resources for the study and teaching of South Asia, broadly conceived.

Programs of Study

The Department of South Asian Studies offers programs of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. While graduate work is tailored to individual intellectual interests, it is our expectation that all doctoral students will ground their work in primary language materials and participate in broadly interdisciplinary studies of South Asian languages, histories, and cultures.

The department has historic and well-defined courses of graduate study in Sanskrit and Indian Studies and Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, and these courses of study will continue. It is our expectation that some candidates for doctoral study will propose other programs in South Asian Studies. These programs of study may have a regional emphasis, a disciplinary or multi-disciplinary emphasis, or an emphasis on a particular era of South Asian history, including modern South Asia. Some of the most exciting multi-disciplinary work in the global academy today has been pioneered by scholars of South Asian Studies, and it is our intention to provide a platform for such study here at Harvard. It is understood that doctoral students in South Asian Studies will work with members of the department who may make their primary home in Anthropology, History, History of Art and Architecture, Linguistics, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the Study of Religion and, indeed, with faculty beyond the department.

All of the department’s PhD programs emphasize the study of South Asian languages as foundational for scholarly work. Currently, members of the department focus in their own work on Bengali, Nepali, Sanskrit (Vedic, Classical) and Middle Indic (Pali, Prakrit), Tamil (Classical, Modern), Tibetan (Classical, Modern), and Hindi-Urdu (including Avadhi, Braj, and modern dialects) . The Department also supports instruction in Bahasa Indonesia, Gujarati, Sindhi, and Thai. Persian is regularly offered through the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

We emphasize a rigorous approach to South Asian texts and traditions, the cultural, intellectual, and social practices that they inform, and the diverse disciplinary perspectives that are needed to study and write about them. Students are encouraged to view their chosen topics in their historical contexts while also exploring their significance to ongoing South Asian traditions and to contemporary issues in the humanities and social sciences.

In exceptional cases, the Department will admit, to a one year AM program, a particularly promising student who would like to strengthen their background in South Asian Studies but may not have all of the qualifications for doctoral study. Applicants should be aware that there is no funding available for AM candidates.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program is offered on the basis of an outstanding academic record, letters of recommendation, a writing sample, and, ordinarily, GRE scores. Applicants should contact the Department well before the admissions deadline, preferably visit the department, or make arrangements for a telephone interview.

For the PhD program a strong background in one or more areas of South Asian Studies is required. For admission to the Sanskrit and Indian Studies program, prerequisites include two years of Sanskrit, and for the Tibetan and Himalayan Studies program, two years of classical Tibetan. These language requirements correspond to the first and second years of Sanskrit or Tibetan taught at Harvard. For the South Asian Studies program, candidates should have at least two years of study in a South Asian language. The student’s command of the relevant languages will be evaluated during the first term.

Structure of the Program

Coursework

General requirements. For the PhD: Sixteen half-courses and a minimum of two years in residence are required. For the AM: Eight half-courses and at least one year in residence are required.

Core requirements for the PhD:

A minimum of four half-courses in Classical Sanskrit, Tamil, Tibetan, Hindi-Urdu, or another South Asian language at the advanced level.

Two half-courses in a second South Asian language

Eight half-courses in the student’s special fields, including related courses in other departments.

Reading knowledge of two modern research languages, generally French and German. A language exam must be passed with an honors grade by the end of the second year of residence. Another modern language relevant to the student’s special field, but not the student’s native language, may be substituted for one, but not both of the required languages.

Core requirements for the AM: Two half-courses of seminars, two half-courses in Classical Sanskrit, Tamil, Tibetan, or Hindi-Urdu literature at the advanced level, and four half-courses in the student’s special field, including related courses in other departments. An AM thesis is also required.

Advising

Incoming students will have an advisor in the field of study closest to their own interests. The advisor is responsible for developing a plan of study and signing the study card at the outset of each semester. The department’s director of graduate studies functions as a more general advisor to all graduate students in relation to the department and GSAS policies and procedures. When a student submits his or her prospectus to the department, he or she also suggests an advisor to direct the dissertation. The progress of every student will be reviewed each year by the department.

Teaching

After the first two years of doctoral study most students work as teaching fellows in one of the courses taught within the department, in other departments, or in the undergraduate General Education curriculum. The opportunity to develop teaching skills is an important part of graduate studies, especially for those preparing for a future in academia.

General Examinations

PhD Examinations. Students are expected to take their general examinations no later than the middle of their third year in the program. There are usually four written examinations that ordinarily take the following form:

A language translation examination, without dictionary, from a text of average difficulty.

A translation examination, with dictionary, of texts in the student’s special field, with a discussion of textual problems or thematic issues.

A broad examination in South Asian Studies based on reading lists put together by the student in consultation with the advisor.

An examination in the student’s special field.

Students may also choose to take an optional fifth exam in a secondary field or discipline, often involving a faculty member from another department.

AM Examinations. Students are expected to take two written examinations the subjects of which will be determined in conjunction with the advisor and an oral exam in the student’s special field.

Prospectus

Upon passing the general examinations students will be expected to complete a dissertation prospectus within a year’s time and no later than the fall term of their fourth year. The prospectus should be in the range of 15 to 20 pages and include: 1) a clear statement of the dissertation project, its central problems and methodology; 2) its place in the context of related scholarship; 3) its importance to the field. The prospectus should also include a chapter outline and extensive bibliography.

The dissertation committee normally consists of three members, including the dissertation advisor. Two members of the committee must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Frequently, the committee will include at least one member from outside the department, and occasionally one from outside the University. The proposed committee should be approved by the advisor, the director of graduate studies, and the department. The proposed committee should review the prospectus at the time it is submitted.

Traveling Fellowships and Study Abroad

Many students apply for travel fellowships in their fourth year and spend all or part of their fifth year in South Asia. The advisor and director of graduate studies can direct doctoral students to the many resources available for work in South Asia.

Thesis

PhD Dissertation: The dissertation should not exceed 75,000 words or 300 pages in length. It must be a substantial and original piece of work that demonstrates mastery of the field and the student’s chosen topic.

Students are expected to complete two chapters of their dissertation by the spring term of their fifth year. After this they are expected to produce at least one acceptable chapter of the dissertation each semester.

After it is completed, the dissertation must be submitted to the dissertation committee (at least two months before the official deadline) and be publicly defended in a roundtable discussion that includes members of the dissertation committee and other faculty and students in the department.

AM Thesis: The AM thesis will be a substantial paper demonstrating the student’s knowledge of the scholarly literature and methodologies appropriate to the topic of the student’s choice. The topic will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. A typical AM thesis is expected to be approximately 75 pages in length.

To Apply

Application forms for admission and financial aid may be obtained from the Admissions Office, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center 350, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, or at www.gsas.harvard.edu.

The department can be reached by phone at (617) 495-3295 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please visit our website.